Reviewed by USGSChile5d ago
M5.2 earthquake 167 km WNW of Mejillones, Chile
Monday, September 21, 2026, 11:48:28 UTC · 22.364°S, 71.868°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 167 km WNW of Mejillones, Chile on Monday, September 21, 2026, 11:48:28 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of I (not felt). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on November 10, 2025.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
55 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile | I · Not felt | 1 | 208 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 404 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 194 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 204 km E of this epicenter
- 7.753 km SW of Iquique, ChileApril 3, 2014 · 245 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 285 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 204 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 268 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.134 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJanuary 30, 1998 · 242 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 291 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,392 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 171 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 194 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 204 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 255 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1987M7.3
Antofagasta, Arica
5 Mar 1987 · 285 km away · intensity VI
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1871M7.3
Chile
5 Oct 1871 · 296 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.